Jealousy within the fleet

 

No sooner had I believed the fleet was sorted, Denise got jealous and rejected her bottom bracket. I discovered this while replacing her chain, which was reading close to .7 on the chain wear indicator. Two chains had just arrived, so no sense putting off the inevitable. After a fit of pique, I found an (unused) mountain bike bottom bracket within the transmission box, gave the non-drive side a liberal helping of Muc-Off Bio Grease TESTED : MUC-OFF BIO GREASE (sevendaycyclist.com), the drive side, Oxford Mint Assembly Grease. This was just to see how the two would compare, in a like for like context. 

Since I had the cranks off, I stripped the axle and reached for the Peaty’s Speed Grease PEATY'S SPEED GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) which is palpably lower than most on the friction front and is surprisingly durable into the bargain. Even though the existing KMC wasn’t completely spent, the replacement translated in much snappier shifts, too.  

Hopefully, that’s the last of the drivetrain consumables for a while, though. Depending on how rough winter plays, I’ll get 3-4 months from chains and at some point, I'll get another (XT grade) bottom bracket or two in, should something get the grumbles. Stuff usually goes pop at the least convenient moment, so keeping staples is good practice.  

Ursula succumbed to the first post-rebuild flat- couldn't find anything inside the Continental’s tyre casing, having washed and scrubbed them as part of a more intense generic bike clean. The tube had a hole around the seam, so I switched to a fresh one and pondered whether I should patch or retire.  

I seldom consign these to landfill since they make great chainstay protectors, headset boots etc. Denise’s lower race boot is proving highly effective at keeping the slime at bay. After some deliberation, I ultimately decided to go the former route with Ursula and placed some along the downtube, where the Ravemen XR6000 Ravemen XR6000 Front Light | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) battery rests.   

Talking of batteries, I wasn’t getting any readout from the Giant computer, which basically boiled down to an exhausted CR2032 sensor battery. I’ve also tackled some alignment issues with the front Mudhugger guard and have decided to go the original rear Mudhugger route.  

These are shorter than the MK2 and I didn’t feel the need for Velcro, since I’m unlikely to be removing them- just a question of liberally applying helicopter tape and some old tube atop that to rule out any paint damage, then pulling the cable ties very snug.  

Another definite plus about the mud hugger and their gravel hugger cousins is both feel secure and rigid aboard the bike. The fixed gear winter/trainer’s hasn’t been touched, save for a replacement tie and yes, I also clean beneath the guards to prevent potentially abrasive and/or corrosive stuff building up. I took my time when fitting both, fitting things loosely, getting alignment spot on before pulling the cable ties snug. Talking of ties, the OEM are 3.6mm (about 0.14 in) thick-I’d lost a couple, so employed some slightly thinner examples as a meantime measure.   

 

Otherwise, it's aesthetically much sleeker than the generally serviceable, if slightly whippy post mounted unit it replaces. Staying with mucky stuff, I’ve been getting plenty of miles aboard Denise and the 120tpi versions of the WTB Nano WTB Nano TCS Tyre | cycling-not-racing.  

 

Though not wildly different to their 60tpi siblings, ride quality feels more compliant, and they feel slightly friskier, too. Too early to say whether the SC2 puncture repelling belt is superior and indeed, that of the Maxxis Ravager Maxxis Ravager TR Tyres | cycling-not-racing but there’s plenty of gloop around and winter’s cranking closer, so we’ll see. 

  

The Madison DTE Men’s Isoler Thermal Long Sleeve Jacket continues to impress. Well, it’s a middleweight jersey by another name with a thin pile fleece lining to keep the chill out and a DWR waterproof coating. In common with similar garments, the latter should be thought of as resisting misty, light showery stuff and extending the time before you need to don a micro jacket/gilet, not battling rains of biblical proportions. The fit’s great, ditto the pocket layout and design.   

 

While the Topeak Gravel Two-Stage Mini Pump Topeak Gravel 2 Stage Mini Pump | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) is a reliable staple, I’m leaning toward mini compressors for roadside rescues and CO2 inflators as a third, contingency option. Muc-Off has just sent me their Airmach electric mini-inflator. Its more compact than the CYCPLUS AS2 Pro Max Epump CycPlus AS2 Pro Max E.Pump | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) or indeed, the Fumpa FUMPA PUMP | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)    which has its pros, obviously on the space front but I’ll reserve judgement for now, see how it performs in the real world.  

Lighting continues to arrive, and I’ve just received this Ravemen K1800. As the name suggests, it’s another master blaster pumping out 1800 lumens. Probably the most notable feature is the AI technology, which allows the light to adjust output according to your riding style and environments. Theoretically, this will leave me free to enjoy the ride and get the best balance of performance and economy.   

 

Shakedowns but no breakdowns...

 

Forty miles in, Ursula and I were bonding very nicely. Then, to my surprise (and good fortune, since this struck 2.5 miles from home) I glanced down to discover the left-hand crank was creeping off. No 10mm Allen key on the multi-tool meant nursing us back, minimising contact with the left side. Having returned, I whipped out 10mm, 5mm Allen keys and of course, trusty torque wrench. I can only imagine things stretched during the formative outings. Pre-load faffed and ultimately everything rejoined and behaving to type, I pondered some more pre-winter prep.  

The recent wet roads had me thinking I should add a protective butyl boot to Denise’s lower headset race. I decided rounding up the tools and taking a decision from there was the best route. Before I knew it, I’d plunged in head-first and met a few surprises. The quill converter had become mysteriously stuck. Nothing a quick tap with a rubber mallet didn’t solve (although I still needed to tap the expander wedge free- a long flat screwdriver and controlled nudge from the mallet fixed this).   

Everything else came apart easily and ample Juice Lubes Bearing Grease clung to the bearings and races. Fork out, I slid the butyl over the head tube and rolled it up. Another quick lick of grease to the lower balls, I reinstated fork and mysteriously had the headset adjustment bang on first time.  

Reassembling the quill adaptor, I added some of the Oxford Assembly Grease to hopefully subvert and further episodes of stubbornness (adaptors are prone to seizing). Same went for the hardware. While the Juice Lubes Bearing Juice is a synthetic, putty type formulation, I applied a quick shot of Muc Off Silicone Spray to the underside of the tube, to help it glide over the headset.  

 

Allowing for the fact I geustimated, rather than measured the length of tube, the coverage is precisely as I wanted it and should, with the added helping of grease, lock the elements out. Lizard Skins and others used to produce neoprene covers, but unless removed every wet ride, could cause moisture to get inside.  

 

Old inner tubes are plentiful and could even be scrounged from your friendly local bike shop. It’s tempting to strip the crankset come next chain replacement and treat the axle to some Peaty’s Speed Grease (for the last word in low friction) but the Wolf Tooth is a premium blend and seems highly effective thus far. Will be interesting to see how it fares against winter’s witches’ brew.  

 

Staying with pleasant surprises, I was sent another set of the WTB Nano, not the TCS tubeless ready versions this time. Their UK importer tells me these are the 120tpi versions employing their SG2 puncture repelling belt that runs bead to bead, so will be interesting to see how they cope in this regard during the darker months.  Aside from gravel and indeed “more adventurous touring” they’re also aimed at cyclo cross audiences and, given their “most conditions” persona, it’s not difficult to see how the genres ahem, cross-over. I’ve found them surprisingly good in gloopy UK mud, but again we’ll see how this translates through a mulchy mucky British winter.  40mm wide, they’re going to be a little portly for more traditional ‘cross bikes, which can typically swallow 32-35mm, 38 if we’re talking a slick commuting/touring tyre for off season’s road duties. 

  

Despite the rise in popularity these past twenty years, cross meets still have a very eclectic flavour. Sure, there are packet fresh disc equipped carbon fibre bling machines but plenty of traditional cross bikes, repurposed tourers and indeed, mountain bikes looping the circuits. Single-speed transmissions keep things rugged and reliable, provided you’re prepared to stick with something around 63 inches…  

 

There are a few folks who also brave it on a fixed. I can see the appeal, but as I say, very much a niche thing. On-One’s Mulo might be a prime candidate. There’s clearance for 43mm tyres without tickling the chainstays and you could either run it with a disc up front or go the old school cantilever route.  

 

The latter are again, still very popular. Lightweight, simple and still relatively effective, set up correctly, with decent quality pads and cables.  Standard cables with PTFE linings and stainless-steel inner wires are good staples, although the jump between these and more elite, sometimes sealed systems, such as the Jagwire Road Elite is very palpable.  

 

Aside from the fit n’ forget weather sealing, the inner wires are extremely high quality, thus virtually zero stretch and very tolerant of fine tuning. I’ve set ours up and removed them from Ursula’s callipers with no signs of compression, let alone fraying. Braking is very progressive, stiction free, but again, I’d expect so at this end of the market and again, I’ll see what impact if any, winter has upon their stopping prowess.  

 

Transfil Flying Snakes were another solid (and much cheaper) choice on the sealed front, but fitting was more involved and cable rub could be an issue if you hadn’t used the little protectors or applied some helicopter tape to the head tube and other areas where the outers sit, or brush against the frame. Right, I’ll leave it here with my review of the  Magicshine See Me 50 Mag Light Magicshine SeeMee50 MAG Light | cycling-not-racing